Complications
by CrypticMoonFang
Summary: What would happen to a certain someone if they were born half cat, half human?
1. Chapter 1

-Chapter 1-

"Huh?! Why did I give birth to a cat?! That's impossible! We have to get rid of her, one way or another!" a young woman said. She was holding in her arms a small infant.

"I don't know, honey... But we could put her in a box or something. I just know someone'll take her." a man's voice suggested.

"Good idea. I don't want my kid to be a cat-girl."

It was all true, the infant was female. She had a set of tiny, _almost_ hairless cat ears sticking out of her head. She had a small but elegantly long tail that connected to her spinal column and protruded from her backside. She had no other teeth but two tiny cat fangs. Her first cry was, "Mew! Mew! Meow!" But the most appalling abnormalty was her claws. They weren't long enough or sharp enough to do any harm yet. Her eyes were lovely blue orbs, but laying in the very center of the orbs were dialated pupils, much like a cat's.

Her parents decided to set her in a box near an arcade's dumpster. Someone would _surely_ find her near an arcade.

* * *

**Now, exactly fourteen years later...**

A raven-haired adonis walked into the arcade. "Hey, Andrew! Set me up a nice little coffee, will ya?"

"Wow! I don't think you've _ever_ been this early before, Darien! New record set, here!" A tan-headed boy around Darien's age set out black coffee on the counter. Then he walked outside the arcade and set out a fish and some chicken on the ground.

"Looking for a picnic today?" Darien teased.

"No, but there's this girl, you see. She's-"

"Say no more! I'm just glad you finally got yourself a girlfriend! But here's some advice: Never leave a girl eating off the sidewalk, okay?"

"Well, it's not like that... She's, uh... Well... She won't eat it off a plate. And I've tried many times to feed her myself, but..."

"She hates you that much?"

"Darien, I'm serious! She's not normal!" Andrew sighed. "I can't really explain. You'll have to see her for yourself. She should be here any minute now."

"When you say 'not normal', do you mean wierd?"

"Sort of... Let's just say she gives a whole new meaning to the word 'wierd'."

"That bad?"

"I-I wouldn't exactly say bad, but... A lot of people hate her guts, though I've never seen her do anything to deserve- Oh, there she is! Quick, look!" Andrew said the last part as though he only had a few more seconds to live.

Darien turned to find himself fixated on a blonde-haired girl with blue eyes. But he suddenly realized what his friend meant when he said 'not normal' and 'wierd'.

The girl was eating the fish and chicken straight from the floor of the sidewalk. She was bending down and eating it like a cat. But whenever a person walked near her she scrammed. Then, a few minutes later, she'd be back and gobbling up the dish. She was dressed in rags and was obviously homeless.

"Why does she look half cat? Is she a cosplayer?" he asked.

"That's what I was trying to tell you! I don't think those ears or tail are fake. If they are, then she's had them on for way too long! Besides, they're too realistic to be fake."

"Really? You're saying she's not human?"

"I honestly can't say... But anyone who comes here will tell you, she hates people. And no one really knows anything about her life. For all I know, today could be her birthday."

Darien stepped outside the arcade and the girl suddenly froze, almost as though she was mortified. He took another slow step towards her. She didn't move, except for the fact that her tail swished back and forth and her ears shot up at him. Her eyes also dialated to a circumference that no human could ever hope to accomplish.

"I won't hurt you. It's okay..." he whispered. He took yet another step towards her.

That did it. She scurried up a nearby tree.

When Darien started to climb the tree to follow her, he nearly wet himself when she hissed at him. So instead, he went back to get her some food that she left on the ground when she ran. He tried to hand her the food, reaching up to her as he did. "Here..." he softly said.

She swatted at him with her claws. "Get away from me!" she frustratedly yelled.

"You can speak?!"

"Of course I can! Now, shoo!" she retorted.

"Why should I?"

"If you don't, then I'll tear your eyeballs out of your skull!"

"Heh heh heh..."

"What's so funny? Don't you fear me? Aren't you disgusted by my appearance?" she questioned.

"No, no, no! I mean, it's true that I'm not scared of you. But you don't disgust me! It's just funny how sassy you are, that's all."

"Well, don't give me that crap about 'you won't hurt me'! You humans are all alike! Every last one of you!"

"Maybe you haven't gotten to really know us."

"Yeah right. How do you think I got to be where I am now? Huh?"

"..."

"Exactly! So you're still going to say I should trust you more? The only reason I lived this long is because I hate you!" she screamed the last part, with tears streaking down her cheeks. She finally slashed him with her claws. "Let that be a warning to you."

This made Darien hop down from the tree. "Yow! You know, that's why no one likes you! Right there! And if you want to live so bad, GET A JOB!"

Andrew was waiting for him to return. "So how'd it go?" He looked up to find his friends cheek bleeding, five red gashes trailing down his face.

"Not very well..."

"You got scratched. That's what happens when people mess with her, I guess. But it's only natural..."

"What are you talking about?"

"Put yourself in her shoes for a moment. Everyone hated her and distested her solely because of her looks. Anyone would get mad and distrustful when everyone looks down on them like that."

"Yeah..."


	2. Chapter 2

-Chapter 2-

Her catlike ears swiveled to and fro, following the sounds of the world as they passed. Clearly she was deep in thought. 'A job, huh?' she thought, remembering what that strange man had told her.

She finally brought herself to come in front of a large building not too far from the arcade. She stopped and observed the structure before going into it. Almost as soon as she got in, they literally _kicked_ her out. "Tsh! What makes you think you're qualified to come in this place? Why don't you go join the Freak Show?" the boss said to her.

Going in that building only served to deepen her hatred for humans. She straddled down to the arcade again. She climbed the tree, knowing that when it got late, dangers were always lurking just around every corner. This was _her_ tree. It was her home, her sactuary. It was the only place she'd ever truly felt safe at. Never had she allowed even a bird to land here. Anytime a bird dared to make a crap here, she killed the bird that did it and cleaned off the tree as best she could. She took such great care of her tree that it was well-known that the tree was off-limits to everyone. Except a particular group of boys. They were around her age and always hung out together. They did everything in their power to torture her, and that included messing with her tree. They would shake it to make all the beautiful leaves fall off, just to bug her. And whenever she'd come down, which she had to do or else they'd shake her tree until there were no more leaves left, they'd always pick a fight with her. It wasn't one of those childish arguements; it was a genuine, all-out, physical, hurt-people kind of fight. She'd heard many people call it a streetfight, and more people called it a catfight, because she looked like a cat.

Darien sat in the arcade and mulled over what he'd told her. There was no way she could get a job... First off, she looked way too young, and secondly, she was half cat! How was she supposed to get a job looking like she did?

A raven-haired girl walked into the arcade and ordered a milkshake and a burger.

"Hey, uh... Can you tell me something?"

The girl looked up to find a cute stranger. "Oh, uh. You can call me Rei."

"Okay. Rei, can I ask you about something?"

"Sure. Ask away!" Rei replied.

"It's about the strange cat-girl that hangs around the arcade."

"Yeah. Everyone who comes here knows about her. They say today's her birthday, you know."

"Really?"

"Yep. But no one can get near her. She wards them all off. It's said that she's lived here her whole life."

"Huh... Her whole life? Sounds like a long time... Anything else you know about her?"

"Erm... No. Sorry, but she hates people, so everyone stays clear of her. They don't mess with her physically, but alot of people make cruel comments about her. I kind of feel bad for her..."

"Must be hard, living like she does."

"I thought the same thing when I learned about her!"

"Hey? How do you know so much about this girl, anyways?"

"Oh, you know... Rumors and stuff."

"Oh. She's that notorious around here?"

"Not just here. She's widely know throughout these parts for being so..." Rei searched for the right word. "Territorial, I guess you could call it."

"Interesting."

"I sure hope you aren't with that gang of boys..." Rei warned.

"What gang of boys?"

"There's this gang of boys that, for some reason, is determined to pick on her all the time. They literally hunt her down and-" she was interrupted by loud but muffled cries and hisses. The pair ran outside to see what all the commotion was about.

The long-haired blonde was in a fight with a crowd of about sixteen boys. Each were somewhere around her age, or at least they looked it. The girl was struggling to shove them off of her. She used everything she had, from her intimidation techniques right down to her claws. She was on her hands and feet, standing her ground like any other cat-girl would. In this fight, it was no exaggeration to say that alot of boys would get hurt. And she probably would as well.

"Hey, c'mon! Where's your usual stamina? Where's the feistiness at?" they were chanting at her.

Meanwhile, the girl was growling at them, her ears and eyes shooting from one direction to another. "Why'd you humans bring your whole pack up here? Why not just drag your sorry cans back to bed, where they belong." she scowled.

"'Cause it's way more fun to see who can sweep you off your feet first, honey."

"Psht! Don't you _ever_ call me 'honey' again!"

"And if we do?"

"Your noses and eyeballs will be scratched out, then torn to freaking shreds. And all that'll be shown from your fight with me is women shrieking whenever you walk by, men shouting 'What is that _thing_?!', and babies bawling every time they see your downright ugly faces."

"I think you got that from what everyone says about _you_."

"It's funny because you think I'm kidding, don't you?" She was saying all this in a very dark, ghoul-like tone, so as to make it more intimidating.

"It's funny 'cause you think you're scaring us, don't you? Oh! Beware of kitty! She'll see to it that you never have kids!" a boy sarcasized.

Before a real fight could break out, Darien ran in front of the girl and shouted to the boys, "You know, I've been scratched by her! She really did kill my dreams of fatherhood! Don't let it happen to you, too! Go! Go! Go! While you still have all three items remaining!"

This comment scred the crap out of the boys and they beat it.


	3. Chapter 3

-Chapter 3-

The strange girl turned to her rescuer. "You should scram, too. I'm very much capable of killing dreams. Especially if they're of fatherhood. Pretty easy spot to hit." she threatened.

"You can stop acting tough, you know."

"Pft! Who's acting?" she said in, to Dairen, a cute voice.

"Hey, um... Don't mind me here! I'm just, uh... Yeah, you know?" Rei nervously said.

"You aren't scared of me either?!" The girl looked taken aback.

"Not really... Why do you want us to be scared of you?" Rei asked curiously.

The girl muttered something under her breath and turned to leave.

"W-Wait!" Darien protested. "Even after all this time... I-I still don't know your name."

"Name? Keh! Like you'd want to know!"

"If I didn't want to know, I wouldn't be asking you in the first place."

"Grrrr... Fine! I don't have a name! As you've probably heard, I get called alot of things around these lands. I have many names. But none of which I nor my parents chose." she resided.

"You have parents?" Rei entered.

"Kind of a stupid question to ask, don't you think? How else would I have been born?"

"Where are they?"

"... I... They're really far away. I guess..."

"Far away? You mean dead?!"

"Like I'd know! I've always hated my parents! Who cares about them?! NOT ME! That's for sure..." She wandered off, still rambling on about her parents that she never knew. All she knew was that they didn't take care of her. They didn't even have the heart to give her a name! So why, then, couldn't she hate them? Guess it was hard not to hate the one who gave you life...

The girl came upon a building, in which she climbed up and sat on top. It wasn't a very high building. It was around medium height.

"Dear God..." she started, "... Please. Let everyone stay away from me. I don't want to be hurt anymore... All I want is a friend. Someone I can trust and rely on. And, if possible, please... P-Please let me be fully human. Like the Sailor Scouts! Oh, how I wish with all my heart that I could become one of them! Then... Then no one will ever call me bad names again. Instead, they'll respect me and I won't ever spend another night in the rain again. No more freezing winters and no more starving or struggling to survive! That'd be such a great life... You know, God... I look around me and I see people who are loved by family and friends. I want to be loved like that, too. But when I look at myself... All I see is a freakish thing. A half-cat half-human freak of nature. But! Whatever you have planned for me, I'll follow you. I'll do whatever you want, Lord. Whatever you wish... Amen." she prayed.

Darien saw her sillhouette on top of a roof. Looked like she was getting up. Then he watched as she flipped down the building. Cat reflexes, he assumed.

The long-haired, blonde-headed girl went back to her tree, trotting right past Darien.

"Kinda rude, you know! If this is your home then I'm your guest!" he shouted up to her.

The girl was going to say something back, but then she felt a raindrop. Then two, then three, then four, then five... 'Great... Just great... Now I can't sleep in my tree tonight.' she thought. She proceeded to jump from the tree to the ground below her.

"I'm not coming down for the likes of _you_! I'm just coming down because I hate water so much! So you'd better not get the wrong idea, pal." she angrily said. Then she walked off.

Darien followed.

"Don't you have somewhere to be?! You're so freakin' _annoying_!"

"I'm going to hang with you tonight." he calmly told her.

"What makes you think I'll let you?"

"Well, there's the fact that you haven't killed me yet."

"So?"

"So can you seriously say you don't trust me?"

"I already have! But a certain someone won't listen to me!" she retorted.

"And..."

"And what?"

"And if you don't have a name... Then what do I call you?"

"Just make something up! I don't care!"

"How about... Um... C.G.? Yeah, I like it!"

"Why C.G.?"

"It stands for cat girl."

"Urf! W-Wh-What?!"

"You heard me. Cat. Girl. C.G."

"Don't call me a cat-girl! That isn't what I am!"

"Then what are you?"

"..."

"Well? Any answer?"

"I-I'm... I'm a..." She mumbled the rest of her sentence.

"You're a... What? What'd you say?"

"I said I'm a... A... Freak."

"No you aren't. I saw you jump down from that building. You looked like a superheroine."

"Ksh! Yeah, right... If only you knew..." She walked towards the dumpster near the arcade that Andrew worked at, only to find it was gone. 'Trash day...' she thought. 'And on today of all days!'

"Why are you over here? I thought you lived in that tree over there." Darien pointed to her tree.

"What is this?! Twenty Questions?!"

"You haven't answered any of my questions!"

"Then you know I won't answer any more that you might have."

"I won't leave until I know more about you!"

"Heheheh... Let's see if a regular, normal human can survive a dark and rainy night."

"Oh... It is _on_!"

"Better prepare yourself."

"Already am."


	4. Chapter 4

-Chapter 4-

That night, the pair was sitting in the middle of the rain. That blonde-headed, sassy-natured girl was drenched, but that didn't stop her from acting so tough.

"Burrrrr! This rain is freezing!" Darien whined.

"So what? Suck it up and be a man!"

Darien watched as the blonde strutted down the sidewalk. He knew what she was doing. She was trying to get away from him... Again. It kind of made him feel guilty because here was a girl in need. And there was nothing he could do about it!

The girl turned to see him following her. "Why won't you go home already?! I've had enough of your ugly face around here!"

"Because I want to make sure you'll last long enough to see tomorrow. And, if that group of boys comes back... I want to protect you."

"Tsh! Total waste of time! I can take care of myself! I don't need a human bothering me!"

"Well, you're a human."

"But I'm also too different. So in that instance, I am _not_ a human!"

"You're a cat-girl-human."

"I said stop calling me that! I'm no cat-girl!"

"Aw... C'mon, C.G.!"

"I'M NOT C.G.!"

"But I have nothing else to call you. Besides, I think C.G. suits you!"

"First of all, C.G. DOESN'T SUIT ME!!! And second of all, you have plenty of things to call me by!"

"Like what?"

"Well, there's freak, thing, kit-cat, filth... A ton more where those came from."

"But those aren't names! And thus, I refuse to call you them! Although, kit-cat sounds kind of cool."

Darien said that, but when he saw her flinch at 'kit-cat', he quickly said, "But... On second thought, it's not cool enough to be your name."

"Didn't think it was."

"So... Did you ever go to school?"

"What do you think? A wierdo like me? Yeah, right!"

"Oh. Well, how old are you?"

"Why does it matter?"

"I just want to know."

"Ugh! Fine! I'm fourteen, almost fifteen, happy now?"

"Hardly! But, seriously, what's your name?"

"I told you. I don't have a name. But you thought I was just trying to avoid the subject, didn't you?"

"So... You really don't have a name?"

"Nope. But... Well, it's a little embarrassing, so don't tell anyone! You have to promise before I tell you, okay?"

"I promise!"

"Okay, I've always sort of liked the name 'Serena'. I don't know why, but... There's just something about that name that intrests me."

"Well, why don't you make that your name?"

"I don't know. I guess 'cause it's not like someone's going to call me that."

"Whatever you want, Serena." Darien smiled with her. Although the girl was, as it was just _that_ clear, desperately trying to hide her smile. It was apparent that she stil wasn't very trusting of him.

"Don't call me that!" she tried to hide her happy tone.

"But you said you liked it, so that's what I'm going to call you!"

"Do what you will..." she tried to say in a frustrated tone.

"So, um... Serena, have you ever been _inside_ the arcade?"

"Negativo! Haven't ever been in that place, probably never will! So I'll say it again. Negativo!"

"I'll take you there one day. Maybe even tomorrow, if you're a good girl."

"Shut it, jerk."

Darien pointed to his cheek. "Actually, I believe you owe me one."

"One what? It was your fault! I warned you, but you didn't listen!"

"So you maul me?"

"Pretty much."

"That's the kind of thing that scares the crap out of people."

"Then, I guess I should do it more often."

"No! No, please don't! You're just lucky the government hasn't gotten involved yet!"

"Like I care about your made-up fantasies of social order!"

"That was a little harsh..."

"Your face is a little harsh, pal."

"Yowch. Note to self: Watch out for Serena."

"Better tie a ribbon to your finger for that one."

"Aren't you cold in this rain?"

"Yeah, but I'm used to it. Why? You want to go home now?"

"Only if you come with me."

"Keh! Fat chance!"

"Whatever... I just hope you realize that I am different. I offered you a home when no one else would even think about it."

Serena and Darien both stopped.


	5. Chapter 5

-Chapter 5-

Darien watched Serena dripping, no... Sopping, wet. She was smelling the ground for some reason. Must be like a cat sense or something...

"Come to think of it... When's your birthday? Or do you know?"

"SSSHHHH!!!" she hissed.

Serena's ears swiveled front to back, searching for a sound. But of what? What sound could she possibly be searching for?

"You know... I'd like to know how you survive out here..." Darien whispered.

It started to thunder, and at that moment all the lights went out. A powerout that affected the entire city... Lightning covered the sky with its light. And the mighty thunder roared its presence.

"Shoot... Too hard to hear..." she muttered just loud enough for Darien to hear it.

"What are you looking for?" Darien asked.

"SSSHHHHH!!!" she hissed again.

Even though it was apparent she was desperately trying to home in on something... Or some_one_... Darien couldn't help but wondering if they were in danger or not.

Serena's cat eyes reflected the little light that was available, making it look as though they glowed in the dark. Serena suddenly squatted down on all fours and slowly rose her bottom up in the air while waving it. A cat-like action, Darien knew she was preparing to pounce on something or someone.

Darien heard a 'zip!' and a roar. After a few seconds he heard Serena's scream. A flash of lightning lasted only for a second, but it was long enough for Darien to get a good look at what was happening.

Serena's cat fangs were locked on an enormous bear's neck. The bear was pawing and scratching at Serena to try and get her off. Serena was still holding on.

The lights were off again and Darien was flying blind.

Another flash finally came and revealed the bear clawing Serena's tail. Serena had let go of the bear's neck and was using her own claws to at least cripple the large beast.

Flash was over. Darien was once more blind. It was like looking at strobe lights.

When another flash came, Serena was tearing at the bear's flesh and blood was all over the ground underneath her.

Flash over. Blinded. Neko in trouble. A big bear fighting. Darien couldn't do anything about it.

Flash time.

More blood was on the ground and seemed to be hovering in mid-air. The bear was stained red. There wasn't enough time to see where Serena was at.

Flash over.

The next flash made its way through the sky and lit up a horrid scene for Darien's eyes to be laid upon.

Serena was down on the ground. The bear was about to deliver the final blow.

Flash over.

Darien tried to listen, but no screams were heard. After what seemed like hours, another flash came.

Serena had apparently gotten back on her feet in the nick of time. She stood facing the bear, claws armed and ready to fire at will. The bear was standing on two legs. One claw had been ripped out of the bear's finger. More blood lay in a swirling pool on the ground.

Flash over.

Less than a second later the next flash came.

Serena was in mid-air, about to strike the bear. The bear was looking up at her with a look of anger on its face. Its claws and fangs showed clearly.

Flash over.

A scream was heard and when the next flash came, it depicted what happened.

Serena was still in mid-air, but she was jolted backwards, making the letter 'c' with her body. Her blood seemed to be wavering in the air around her. The bear had clearly gotten her and gotten her good.

Flash over.

Flash back on within seconds.

Serena was on the ground. The bear was also bloodied but it was still strong enough to fight.

Flash over.

Flash back on.

Serena was in mid-air again. She had just doged the treacherous claws of her opponent. The bear hadn't had enough time to look up at where Serena was at.

Flash over.

The next flash was actually a series of flashes, so it was alot like a movie.

Serena landed next to her foe and tried to slash it, but the bear had unquestionable speed and dodged it. It then proceeded to strike back with its own claws and its claws caught Serena off her guard. But just a little bit off guard. Serena was dragged across the ground by the bear's claws. This was due to the claws being hooked in her skin.

Flash over.

There was another revealing flash.

Serena was bloodied, but still alive. The bear had another claw ripped out, this time from its foot. The bear was tiring and so was Serena.

Flash over. Darien didn't know how long this battle was going to last. And, worse still, he was blinded by darkness, so there was nothing he could've done to help Serena.

Flash back on.

Serena was standing up as the bear was finally limping off.

Flash over.


	6. Chapter 6

-Chapter 6-

The lights came back on, but the storm was relentlessly continuing.

"S-Serena..." was all Darien could say.

"What was that about a human having to protect me again?" she cockily but weakly said.

"Serena, I'm sorry..." he replied.

"Heheh... How humiliating..." she started. She dropped to her knees. "...to be beaten by the same enemy three times."

"Three? Y-You mean you've encountered that bear before?!"

"Yeah. What a toughie. Boy, I must look like a mess right now..." Her voice was full of hidden pain.

She was right. Her whole body, even her tail and ears, was quivering. Blood was seeping from gashes all over her. Nothing was cut off, but even one of her ears was wounded. She didn't really bother to get up. She just stayed in her blood pool.

"Serena? Are you okay?"

Serena passed out, a splattering sound reached Darien's ears. He knew he had to get her out of the rain and fast. Who _knows_ what kind of infections could be lurking inside her?

* * *

"Wh-Where am I?" Serena woke up with these words. Darien was gone. Nowhere in sight.

Serena looked around. She was underneath her favorite tree. "How? How did I get here? Last thing I remember... I was fighting that bear. Then... Then Darien asked me something... Then... Then what happened? Did I faint?! Oh... Worst day ever..."

Serena tried to get up but stopped halfway. Talk about pain...

She grunted then let herself back down. 'Perfect... I can't even get up!' she thought.

"You really shouldn't push yourself, you know. Your bandages might slip off. That one already did. Now I have to put it back on!" Darien pretended to complain, but Serena sensed his hidden worry.

"Why're you worried about me? No one else bothers."

"I already told you. I'm different. Whether you choose to believe it or not is up to you."

Darien pulled out a little flower from behind his back. He looked at it for a bit, then offered it to Serena.

"You're giving me this?"

"Yep. It symbolizes a promise."

"Huh? Promise? What promise?"

"I promise to stay by your side. And to protect you when you need me to."

She took the flower. "Before you make promises, you'd better learn the definition of 'forever'."

"Well, I _do_ happen to have a dictionary."

"Better get it out..."

"And I also just so happpen to have this." He pulled out a blue ribbon from his pea-green jacket.

"Why would I want that?"

Darien didn't respond. He tied the ribbon around her tail's tip, making a blue bow. The bow was placed right above a bandage that covered about half her tail's length.

"I have to go somewhere. I'll be back."

"Whatever..."

"But before I go... I have a question."

"Fine."

"What were your parents like?"

Serena's eyes widened as she tried to remember. She racked her brain for memories.

"Um... I'll just say this: After awhile you learn the difference between holding a hand and falling in love. You begin to learn that kisses don't always mean something and that promises can be broken just as quickly as they are made and that goodbyes really are forever."

"You said that kisses don't _always_ mean something. But..." Darien leaned closer. "I might be able to show you just how different I can be."

Serena watched him leaning ever closer. She was unwillingly blushing. "Why don't you just go to sleep or something? I know it must've taken a long time to put on all these bandages."

"If the only possible way we can be together is in my dreams, then I'll sleep forever."

"T-That's so corny..."

"If I tell you I love you, can I keep you forever?"

"Stop it... You're so-"

"Smooth? Handsome? ..._Different_?"

"You won't love me forever..."

"The sky may fall and the stars may, too. But in the end I'll still love you. I promise I'll never forget the day we kissed or the day we met."

"We haven't kissed, though."

Darien kissed her. "Yes we have."

"But... No! I can't do this!"

"Why?"

"...Because..."

"Because why?"

"Because I'm afraid of falling." she whispered.

He smiled. "I have wings."

"What else do you have?"

"I've always wanted to say this to the girl I truly love: I wrote your name in the sand, but the waves wasked it away. I wrote your name in the sky, but the wind blew it away. So I wrote your name in my heart, and forever it'll stay."

"Anything else?"

"I know no one else really ever cared about you. You thought you'd never find your true love. But the truth is right in front of you. Your love has finally arrived. You thought no one would ever be there when you needed them. I'll be here forever. Here's a poem I wrote for class one day: Even if you aren't here for me, you've always had my heart. And you always will. You screw everything up, but I will keep giving you chances. I feel like you are the one. The right one. I just need to know why you keep giving up on me."

"I used to close every open door..."

"I know."

"But you still like me?"

"Here's another poem I wrote: Frustrated 'cause I can't tell if it's real. Mad 'cause I don't know how you feel. Upset 'cause we can't make it right. Sad 'cause I need you day and night. Angry 'cause you won't take my hand. Aggrivated 'cause you don't understand. Disappointed 'cause we can't be together. But still... Will love you forever."

"Huh?" Serena said confusingly.

"Don't know. Just thought it was smooth."

"It might've been a _little_ smooth..."

"Everthing looks so pretty when you're up high. If you get caught between the moon and New York City, the best thing you can do is fall in love."

"That was aweful."

He laughed. "For you, I'd wait forever 'cause I know one day we'll be together."

"I can tell you're a poem guy."

"When you said we'd be together I thought you meant until we died, but... Forever isn't as long as it used to be, huh?"

"What? Here's all this talk about love and then _that_?"

"You said you didn't like the talk about love."

"I don't like that, either."

"Okay, how about this? Nothing lasts forever, so live it up, drink it down, laugh it off. Avoid the bullcrap. Take chances and never have regrets, because at one point everything you did was exactly what you wanted."

"Still don't like it."

Darien pulled out twelve roses from behind him. Eleven were real, and one was fake. "I'll love you until the last rose dies." he said.

"Where'd you get the roses?"

"Does it matter?"

"I guess not..."

He laughed again. "Why won't you just take it as a confession of love?"

"Because all you did was talk. You could've just done this." Serena got up for just a second to kiss him.


	7. Chapter 7

-Chapter 7-

"You little fox. You liked me all along, didn't you?" Darien said after Serena had let herself down again.

"No. At first I thought you were nothing more than a fartface." she answered.

"Well... That's a nice thought to have, coming from the person you've just finished kissing."

Serena waved her tail in his face. "It's also a thank-you kiss. For this."

"The blue ribbon?"

"Yeah. I'm lucky to have this."

"Guess you're lucky to have me then, huh?"

"Dunno. I'm still pretty fuzzy on whether you're right for me or not. You might just be my fantasies for all I know."

"That's harsh."

"Get used to it, bud."

"Why're you like that?"

"Like what?"

"That attitude. Not very ladylike."

"Again, get used to it."

He chuckled. "You know, I still have another promise to keep."

"Hm? What's that?"

"I said one day I'd take you inside the arcade. And just your luck, your tree is right by it."

"I don't think I've ever been _inside_ the arcade before."

"When you're strong enough, we'll go together."

Serena forced herself up. "I'm not as weak as a human! I'm stronger than I look!"

"As you wish..." He knew better than to not agree with her.

Andrew greeted with the normal, "Hello! Welcome to Crown Arcade! Can I get you anything today?" But then he looked up and a look of horror struck his face.

"Ya. Black coffee. Same as usual." Darien answered. Then he turned to the girl he called Serena, "You want anything?"

"Tsah! No thanks! I'm fine!"

"D-Darien!" Andrew whispered as he set the black coffee on the counter. Although, it sounded more like hissing than whispering... "Why?"

"Why what?" Darien whispered right back.

"I-I can't have her in here! You know how well-known she is around here? _For mauling people_?!"

"I promised her I'd take her here. She's actually not mauled anyone. She's protected me."

"FROM WHAT?!"

"A bear... And you just yelled. Yet you're the one telling _me_ to keep it down?"

"Darien, she came, she saw, now she has to go."

"But I thought you want to help her."

"I do! I really do! But look at her! She's not meant to be inside buildings. And, on top of that, it'll scare away all my customers."

Darien turned to look at his beloved Serena. Her ears were layed back and her fangs were clearly showing. She didn't trust anyone.

"Relax. She's just got to warm up to you. She has a bad reputation due to her looks. People consider her a freak, Andrew. But I got to know her, and she's amazing!"

"A-Amazing?! Darien, as much as I want to help her... I just can't."

"Why? Because she's got wierd looks?!"

Serena overheard this. 'Wierd looks...?' she thought. Her gorgeous blue eyes widened. Was this what he thought of her as? And after he'd stolen her first kiss, too... All those promises...

"No! Well... Yes... I'm scared of her, too, you know! She's a freak, I admit it..."

"Yeah, well... She's a freak, sure! But does that give you the right to hurt her?"

"Why're you so protective of her, anyways?"

"Huh?! W-Well... I'm not!"

"Are you sure she doesn't mean anything to you?"

"Sh-She... Is... She doesn't mean anything! Nope! Nothing at all!"

Serena overheard this, too. That was enough. She wouldn't hear anymore of this... This... These heart-breaking words.

Andrew and Darien heard the bell ring. (There's sometimes a bell that hangs over the door to alert people of a person walking in or out of the building.)

Darien looked to find a blue ribbon, just like the one he'd given Serena, laying on the ground in front of the door. He picked it up. It had a tiny little red splotch on it. Serena...

Outside, Serena was struggling just to move. She was leaning against the wall of the arcade. All those promises he made... Meant nothing. All those words he said... Meant nothing. All those compliments he gave her... Meant nothing. That bow... Was now nothing more than a painful memory. So it must be left behind.

Her parents. Wasn't that the only reason she'd stayed in this aweful dump? The sole reason she was here. Her parents. They'd undoubtedly come back for her! Right? She couldn't go searching for them, for fear of them coming back to find out she was missing.

Blood pools were forming as badages were being ripped off. Anything that reminded her of him had to go. Everything that had his scent on it... Everything that resembled him... And she had to leave this place. At least near the arcade. She'd go to a different part of town. All in her efforts to avoid the inevitable. Him.


	8. Chapter 8

-Chapter 8-

She couldn't even think of his name! He disgusted her so much...

More blood pools... Drops, pools, lakes. It didn't phase Serena.

She stopped. They were back. The boys. Those evil little demons.

Serena prepared herself for what she knew was going to be an excruciating fight. And just preparing herself was painful enough.

"Heheh! If it isn't our little friend! What're you doing halfway across town? Huh, kitty cat?"

"Shut up!"

"Awww... Poor thing wants us to shut our traps! How adorable!"

"I said shut up! You don't wanna fight me right now, trust me! I've had a rough day."

"You hear that boys? She doesn't want to fight. Sweetheart, I don't think you're in the best position to be saying that to us."

"If you wanna go, then... By all means, don't hold back on my account." She tried to smirk, but... They were right. Blood was gushing out and she could already feel herself going numb. Maybe ripping off those bandages wasn't the greatest idea she'd ever had...

"Say, is that real blood? What've ya been doing, huh? Whatcha get mauled or something?"

"Urk..." Now her vision was starting to blur. She was sweating. Now was definitely not the best time to pick a fight.

"I'll tell ya what. 'Cause we're kind enough to realize when someone's about to die, we'll let you spend your last day however you want! No beatings done!"

Too weak to even speak, Serena dropped to her knees and elbows. This was her dropping from her previous stance of standing on all fours, too.

"Heheh! Looks like you don't have much time left, kitty kitty kitty."

Breathing was harder now. Had a lung been punctured or wounded?!

Vision was fading... And fast... Obviously not a good sign. She needed to get out of here. Fast. But how? She couldn't move!

Breathing was much harder now. She turned on her back. Was it pneumonia? She was in the rain that one night, and... No! he couldn't think about these things right now! Her breathing was rough, hoarse, and labored. The bear's fight took more out of her than she counted on. Would this be it? The end of her? She hoped, no prayed, that it wasn't.

Not to mention the enormous pool of blood that was forming beneath her. That was most likely not a good sign... She could feel the blood dripping off her body. There was blood seeping from her mouth. Blood drops were running down her lips. She could feel herself steadily losing blood from inside her.

Serena let her eyelids droop. Now only about half her eyes was showing.

Now her vision was completely gone, but she was still very much conscious. And her eyes were still halfway opened. Her clothes were now almost _entirely_ red, stained with blood. Blood was now running off the sidewalk she was on and running onto the streets, forming blood puddles on them.

So... This would be the end... She never even got her wish: a friend.

"Serena?! Serena?! Where are you?!"

'That voice... Sounds so familiar... Wonder who it could be...' she thought.

"Serena?! Hello?! Where are you Serena?!?!?!"

'It's... It's Darien. Seems he came looking for me... What a dork.'

"SERENA!!!! WHERE ARE YOU?!?!?!"

'He can't find me, though... I can't speak, move or even see... But I'm going to die soon if he doesn't make it in time. I can already feel my life leaving my body.'

"SERENA!!!! COME OUT!!!"

'I can only think... Can't call out to him. Can't move towards him. Can't give him even a clue as to where I am.'

"SERENA?!?!?!"

'The blood! No, _my_ blood! It's almost all gone! I-I'm going to bleed to death! Oh, Darien! Please hurry! I'm running out of time! And fast!'

Serena's lips started to turn blue. And her skin was becoming more pale by the second. Her time on Earth was nearing its end.

**A/N**:

XD K, look at that! The first Author's Note of the story! lolz K, so I know you're all thinking "Oh, well it obvious she's gonna live! Darien's gonna make right in time and somehow save her." but truth is, I'm kinda debating on whether I should kill her or not. It's kinda like a fork in the road with this story... I could go either way. And honestly, I'm really leaning towards making her die. I can finally finish up this story! AT LAST!!! But if I make her live, I'll still have to continue, but the story might be more interesting. So this whole thing really puts me in a bind... -.-"


	9. Chapter 9

-Chapter 9-

"Serena!" Darien finally found her.

'D-Darien... He's here!' she thought. She was too weak to smile or frown or do anything for that matter.

Darien looked down to find a bloodied Serena. What a horrible sight for anyone in love to see.

Darien picked her up and rushed her to a hospital.

'No... He's taking me to a hospital! No, Darien! Don't! They'll want to study me!'

Once in the building, Darien ordered help. That there was a girl in his arms bleeding to death apparently wasn't enough of a hint.

Immediately, Serena was taken to a special room that said 'Trauma'.

'No! Not the trauma room! God! These people are such idiots! Morons, I think! MORONS!!!'

Meanwhile, Darien was trying to follow, but a few of the nurses wouldn't let him.

"I have to get through! She needs me!"

"I'm sorry, sir! You'll have to wait! She needs to be treated quickly."

"No! You don't understand! She has serious trust issues! She can kill the doctors!"

"She won't hurt anyone."

"No! I mean she _can_ and _will_ kill them!"

"WHAT?!"

"She's half cat! She has claws! And fangs! And incredible mobility!"

"WH-WHAT?!?!?!"

The wall of nurses had been broken through and Darien was swift to running towards the room Serena was in.

Serena heard the door open. 'I don't care if it kills me! I'm going to get rid of that blasted doctor once and for all!'

Blood spilled as Serena, fueled by anger, got up off the bed. So much blood had been lost that Serena just now lost the ability to recognize sounds and different voices.

"Serena, don't move! You could kill yourself!" Darien instructed.

Serena lunged at him, but he dodged it.

"Serena? What're you doing?"

Serena was breathing heavily, but still tried to fight.

"Serena! Please stop! You're going to _die_!"

Unable to hear him, though, Serena kept thinking it was the doctor and kept charging him.

Although, eventually she got so tired she nearly bled to death. Literally.

Darien watched the one he loved pass out.

It was almost a week now.

Serena lay in the hospital bed, hooked up to IVs and blood needles. Blood needles were the things used to supply blood to a person who doesn't have enough blood.

To Darien, she wasn't recovering fast enough. It seemed like years. He hadn't even gone to work the whole time she was here.

"Erm..."

Darien was sleeping. He'd hardly slept and was just now catching up.

'Darien... He came for me. He saved me.' Serena looked at Darien's sleeping figure. She'd just woken up and felt weak and nautious. And hungry... Really really hungry.

One of the doctors came in. "Oh! What a suprise! Jou starteled me zere for a zecond!" The doctor had an extremely french accent. "But I am just glad jou are awake! Jou've grecovered very quwickly!"

Serena hissed. The last time she encountered a doctor, he was trying to get her to agree to let him study her body.

"I see jou are somewhat of a cat, que? J'ai aussie n'est pas moins visage!"

"What?"

"Oh! So jou can speak as vwell? What a suprise! Wondairful! Wondairful!"

"You not speakin' right, bud. You gotta go."

"Oh! J'ai... J'ai am so sorry madame Serena. I cannot go yet."

Serena's eyes narrowed.

"Vous hants nes est oreille!"

"Huh?"

"Excuse moi francias! Excuse my french! Vous hants nes est oreille! We vould like to stoody jou first. A cat-girl is a quite fazinating dizcovairy, don't jou think so?"

"I'm not a cat-girl. I'm a normal girl! Serena!"

"Ah! But jou are var vrom normal, mademoiselle. Notize jour tail and catlike ears. Quite abnormal, don't jou think?"

"You aren't studying me! That's _final_!"

"On contrair, mademoiselle! Jou see, if a parent or guardian allows us, zere is nothing jou can do about us studying jou."

"Heh. I _am_ my guardian!"

"Zat is not what j'ai meant. Zat fellow over zere." the french doctor pointed to where Darien sat. "Is he not jour guardian? Ze papiers say he is."

'Shoot! Darien must've signed the papers telling them he was my guardian!' she thought.

"He is my guardian." Serena reluctantly answered.

Darien woke up that moment. "Hah?"

"Darien. You're my guardian. And this man won't believe me. So _aren't you my guardian_?" Serena practically growled the last part.

"Huh? Oh! Um, sir-" Darien turned to the french doctor and continued, "-I'm this girl's guardian. I've signed the papers."

"Ah! Jes, I'm sure jou are. Monsieur, vwe vould love to stoody zis girl's abnormal animal-like parts. Sooch as her tail and her ears. Both resemble a cat, so vwe vould like to know how she survivez this cat-like structure."

Darien glanced over at Serena, giving her an asking look.

Serena rapidly shook her head and mouthed the words, "No way am I letting them study me!"

Darien understood and nodded his head in agreement. He turned his gaze back to the doctor and said, "No. She doesn't want you to study her."

"It is not up to her, monsieur. It is entirely up to jou."

"No. If I'm not the one going through all that, then it's not up to me in the least. In no way is it my decision to make." With these words he nodded towards Serena. "It's hers."

"AND I SAY NO!!!" Serena screamed.

"Are jou sure? Vwe can cover ze medical expenses."

"NOPE!!! And if you dare say that one more time, I'll gracefully claw your freakin' eyes out! DOCTOR!!!" she angrily answered.

"O-Okay! zat's fine wis me! Jou can be on jour way now, zen."


	10. Chapter 10

-Chapter 10-

Outside the hospital...

"You know how long you were in there?" Darien asked, deciding it best on to tell her about how she tried to kill him.

"How long?"

"About a week, I think."

She blushed. 'Oh, no! How embarrassing! Letting him see me like that!" Instinctively, she climbed up the nearest tree to recover from her humiliation.

"Hey, Serena! Why're you up there? Did I say something?" Darien wondered.

"N-No!" she quickly said. She climbed back down in a matter of seconds. "By the way, I need to ask you about something. It happened at the arcade, which, never again will I ever go to that rotten place!"

"It's a place where people go to have fun, Serena. And I didn't mean what I said to Andrew back there." he answered quickly."I didn't even think you'd be hurt that easily."

"HURT? What makes you think I'm hurt? I couldn't care less about you or this 'Andrew' person!" she retorted.

"O-Oh! Sorry!"

"In fact, I don't even know you." she disdainfully said.

Darien sighed and watched as she ran up the tree she always went in.

She immediately started cleaning the tree and noticed a trespasser on her home territory. The poor person got a slash to the face and punch in the gut. New warning: C.G.'s tree was off-limits again.

"Hey, Serena! C'mon! Don't start this again!" Darien yelled up to her. What was her response? A dead bird that she threw at him. "That was uncalledfor!" he yelled.

"You're uncalledfor!"

"Stop being immature, Serena!"

"Don't call me Serena!"

"That's your name!"

"I don't have a name!"

Darien left, frustrated, and Serena happily watched. She hopped off her tree and turned to leave herself. But then a particular group of boys stopped her.

"Hey, kit-cat! Looks like you lived after all, huh?" one of them commented.

"Yeah, and now I'm blowin' this joint." she told them.

"Whatcha mean? We were having so much fun! I thought we were friends, you know!"

"Deal with it."

"What if we want ya to stay with us?"

"No thanks. I think I'll decline."

"If you leave, we'll just follow you."

"And if you follow me when I leave, I'll kill you all."

"I think the government would get involved then, don't you?"

"Listen up and listen up good. I'm only gonna say it once. I hate you. I hate every other human out there, and I hate government! So leave me be if you know what's good for you."

She ran off, without the group of boys following her. Perhaps she would go to the city, or to a nice farm with a barn to sleep in and milk to drink and all the mice she could chase. Great fun!

It seemed to be hours later that she arrived at a condo. I was getting pretty late, and she'd been stopping so many times trying to find a new home for herself. She climbed up to the highest balcony she could find and went to sleep.

**The next day...**

Serena yawned and stretched in a cat-like manner. Her tail was waving back and forth slowly. 'Man, I'm starving...' she thought. No food was around at the time, so she climbed back down and automatically headed for a tree.

Once in the tree, she ate a bird and settled down a little. She looked at the ground below her, thinking of how lonely she'd been. It had started since the last she could remember. She was just a little kid then. Nobody wanted her. Her only home was a box that said: Free to a Good Home!. She lived in that box, understanding what had happened and how she'd gotten there. But every day humans and animals alike would pass by her, the humans glancing in disgust and fear. Was she to be feared, then? Was she to live completely alone?

Apparently so. Her catlike ears followed the sounds of the world as they passed by. Her tail twitched, a sign of irritation. Why? Why? Why didn't her parents want her? Why did they hate her? What had she done wrong? What had she done to deserve this? Would they at least come back to visit her?

She very vaguely remembered what they looked like. A woman with blueish-purple hair around medium height and a man with brown hair around a tallish height. How did she remember this? Nobody knew. She didn't really care. But, like all kids, she wanted the affection and love of her parents. She could only deny that with her voice, but her heart screamed out for her parents every day. And so every day she suffered the agony of knowing she would forever be alone. Her whole life, in a nutshell, had been one big unpleasant experience. What other surprises would it hold? What else did destiny have in store for her?

She shook her head, as though shaking out the thought and questions, and jumped off her tree.

She traveled until she was in the next town. There she spotted with her unique vision a small treehouse. It was very tiny and it looked like a place that nobody owned. It was in front of a wrecked building, like one of those old ones you see on the side of the road sometimes.

She went inside and found that it was hardly a home at all. There were several bird nests in it, and only one of them was being used. She could barely move in it and decided to keep it as a place to sleep. There was a nice, large forest behind her, so finding food during the wintertime wouldn't be that hard. Catching was always a different story, however. In front of her was a field, so she could walk out and kick up game. Hopefully a wild turkey or two might come along! She'd never had turkey before, but she'd heard it was really good.

A small girl came by and asked her mother if she could play in the little house again. Her mother kindly smiled and said yes. The little girl shrieked as she went in to play. Her mother swiftly came in and asked what was wrong.

Serena was lurking in the shed. The little girl had seen her.


End file.
